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THE DELFT CAT 


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ELEANOR’S CHRISTMAS 

Page 31 


THE DELFT CAT 

AND OTHER STC^ES BY 
ROBERT HOWARD RUSSELL 



ILLUSTRATED BY 
F. BERKELEY SMITH 
AND PUBLISHED BY 
R. H. RUSSELL Sr SON, NEW YORK 



Copyright 1896 

BY ROBERT HOWARD RUSSELL 


To a Little Girl. 





THE DELFT CAT. 

“ Well/' said the Delft Cat, “ I'm get- 
ting awfully tired of this ! Here I have 
to sit on this blue and white cushion 
day in and day out, and stare at the 
ceiling. Just think of it! I never sat 
on anything else in all my life. Now, 
why aren't people content to follow na- 
ture when they are making a cat and 
not inseparably attach one for the rest 
of his days to a blue and white cushion ? 

“ Why, even the common live cats, 
which are ever so much cheaper and 
more plentiful than Delft, are free froni 






The Delft Cat. 1 1 

such ridiculous attachments. Of course, 
I don’t mind it so much in the daytime, 
when I rest contentedly enough on it, 
although even then I must confess that 
I have sometimes longed to sit on a 
hard hearthstone for a change. One 
gets so frightfully tired of continually 
sitting on a cushion. It’s like having 
sponge cake all the time when you want 
bread. 

“ But what hurts me most of all is the 
ridiculous figure that I cut when I get 
down from the mantle-piece every night 
at twelve o’clock to mingle with my 
friends, and have to take that con- 
founded cushion with me. 

*‘You see, in the house where I live 
there are lots of cats, and, although I 
am very particular as to my friends, I 
must say that two or three of them are 
worthy of the friendship and esteem of 
any cat in the world, no matter what 
his lineage. There is the little crystal 
cat from Japan, Miss Koto, and the 
bronze cat from France, Miss Barye, 


12 


The Delft Cat. 



and then Fleurette ! Ah, ma chere 
Fleurette ! 

“ Fleurette is a French porcelain cat, 
and I must admit that she has com- 
pletely captivated me. It was those 
blue eyes of hers that did it. I never 
saw such eyes in a cat, and what's more, 
I don’t believe any one else ever did 
either, and, of course, being so much 
out of the ordinary, they give her a 
very distinguished appearance. 

“ I don’t want to boast about such a 


The Delft Cat. 


^3 



delicate matter, but if you wish to dis- 
cover how fondly she returns my affec- 
tion just look at her any day as she sits 
on the top of the book case, with her 
head twisted round, and her beautiful 
blue eyes gazing straight at me all day 
long, without so much as a wink. Of 
course, it makes me very proud, and I 
find by actual measurement that I carry 
my nose three-quarters of an inch higher 
in the air than I did when I left Hol- 
land six years ago. Those Dutchmen 
are so stupid, though, that they never 
would believe it even if I should send 
them a photograph of myself. They 


14 


The Delft Cat. 



would say that it was a distorted print. 

“ I should like to go back there some 
time, however, and see the man that 
made me, and give him a few points. 

^‘In the first place, I should tell him 
that if he must make cushions, to make 
them detachable. You have no idea of 
the mortification which I have suffered 
from the undignified appearance this 
undetachable cushion lends me when 
I walk about. 

“Why, the first night I came here, 
when I joined my new friends, a few 
minutes after twelve, I was greeted with 
roars of laughter, and the Viennese cat 



orchestra struck up ‘Where Did You 
Get That Mat.’ 

“ Of course, it was very painful for me 
to be submitted to their taunts, and the 
next day, in order to show my contempt 
for the low-bred felines who had in- 
sulted me, I turned my back to them all 
day long, but this did not have the de- 
sired effect, and all through the day I 
could detect their amused glances, and 
at night they laughed harder than ever 
at me. 

“ Fleurette, in whose kind heart had 
sprung up a feeling of pity for me — 
which has since ripened into one of un- 





The Delft Cat. 17 

disguised admiration — whispered to me 
that night, that they were laughing at 
the flowers on my back, and I have since 
discovered, by means of a mirror, that 
the stupid Dutchman who made me has 
painted a wreath of flowers in the center 
of my back. Now, did you ever hear 
of anything so entirely inappropriate 
and so utterly foolish? It’s enough to 
make one revile his maker. Ever since 
that night I’ve had to hold my nose 
higher than ever in the daytime, and 
to look as dignified and impressive as 
possible, for if I don’t some of the ill- 
bred cats in the place are sure to take 
advantage of my unbending, and chaff 
me about my floral decoration, and if 
there’s anything in the world I hate, it’s 
undue familiarity from cheap cats. 

“One day I really lost my temper. 
A paltry little cat of imitation bronze, 
standing in a ludicrous attitude on a 
billiard ball, was the latest addition to 
our circle; in his paws he held a billiard 
cue, and as soon as he discovered the 


1 8 The Delft Cat. 



floral decorations on my back he took 
a position on the mantel near me, and, 
with an exasperating grin, stood point- 
ing his cue at my back. 

“ I stood it as long as I could, but 
after two or three days it made me so 
nervous that I grew irritable and de- 
pressed, so I waited for an opportunity 
when the parlor maid was dusting us, 
to fall backward on him and break his 
tail off. 

“Of course, no one could attach any 
blame to me, for every one supposed that 
the parlor maid had been careless and 
knocked me over. However, it was a 




The Delft Cat. 


19 


great triumph forme as Vignaux was de- 
posed from his place on the mantel, and 
after having his tail treated with stratena, 
was locked up in a little dark cabinet 
on the other side of the room where no 
further accident would be apt to happen 
to him. If he had been real bronze 
his tail wouldn’t have broken so easily, 
but blood will tell, and when you try to 
make bronze cats out of pewter they 
have to suffer for it sooner or later. 

“ Well, I must be going, for I prom- 
ised to meet Fleurette on the library 
table at twenty-five minutes of one, to 
look at the rubber fish. You know 
manufactured cats never eat, but we 
have a much better way of enjoying 
food. We just devour it with our eyes. 
It’s much the best way, as it does not 
destroy the food, and entirely does 
away with indigestion, which by the 
way, is what I heard your mother say 
you had when she put you to bed to- 
night. 

“ After Fleurette and I have satisfied 


20 


The Delft Cat. 



our appetites by looking at the rubber 
fish we are going to the paper theatre 
to see the Japanese paper cats in a new 
play. This is the first night and I am 
told it is to be very thrilling, with a be- 
heading scene in it. After the theatre 
we shall refresh ourselves by seeing the 
little Delft milkmaid milk the Delft 
cow 

“ If you should happen to be awake 
to-morrow night about this time I will 
tell you how the play went, and, by the 
way — if it isn’t putting you to too much 
trouble — if you could get a good fat 
bronze mouse for Fleurette and me to 



The Delft Cat. 


2 I 



look at we would be awfully obliged, 
for, even when one eats only with one’s 
imagination, a change of diet is desira- 
ble, and I haven’t seen a decent mouse 
since I lived on a shelf in a Fifth Ave- 
nue store. 

“Well, good-by. I’m awfully glad to 
have seen you, and you wont forget that 
mouse, will you? There’s a good chap!” 

With these words the Delft Cat van- 
ished, and when the little chap awoke 
in the morning he was not quite sure 
whether he had dreamed that he had 
been talking to the Delft Cat, or whether 
he had really enjoyed the pleasure of 


22 


The Delft Cat. 



att 


his conversation. He looked in the 
parlor and there was the cat on the 
mantel, with his nose in the air. He 
examined the blue and white cushion 
on which he sat, and found that it was 
not detachable, and on turning him 
round found that a wreath of flowers 
was painted on his back just as he had 
said. This, of course, served to con- 
vince the little chap that he had really 
been favored by a talk with him, and 
ever since he has tried to keep his eyes 
open until after twelve in order to hear 
about that play, but he gets so drowsy 
before ten o’clock that he falls asleep 


The Delft Cat. 


23 



and does not wake up until morning, 
when the Delft Cat is back in his place 
on the mantel again, as silent as a 
sphinx. 


I 












ELEANOR’S CHRISTMAS. 

The day was raw and cold; the streec 
fakirs paused occasionally in their cries 
to promote their circulation by slap- 
ping their arms vigorously about their 
chests, or to blow little clouds of warm 
breath through their chilled fingers. 
Their trays, baskets and push-carts were 
laden with queer collections of toys, 
bric-^-brac and catch-penny devices 
from all parts of the world. One cart 
was filled with an assortment of gaily- 
painted tin cats, each pursuing a tiny 


28 Eleanor’s Christmas. 



mouse, which was just beyond the reach 
of its nose. The pedlar would place 
them on the sidewalk, and then off they 
would go in a mad dash over the stones, 
only stopping when run down, when, by 
winding up a spring concealed in the 
anatomy of the tin cat, the mouse was 
made to jump again, and the cat to re- 
sume the hopeless task of overtaking it. 

Further on were little equilibrists, 
who never lost their balance on top of 
rolling barrels, no matter how hard they 
were pushed. Another pedlar was sell- 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 29 

ing remarkably small coins, with the 
Lord’s Prayer engraved on them, sus- 
pended from golden swords by a bright 
bit of red ribbon, and looking for all 
the world like a distinguished foreign 
decoration, which could be had for the 
inconsiderable sum of five cents. The 
neighboring fakir, who may very possi- 
bly have been in partnership with the 
coin-vender, was offering powerful mi- 
croscopes with which to decipher the 
inscriptions on the coins, for a like sum 
of money. 

Near by was a basketful of tall, dig- 
nified looking Japanese storks, with 
wire legs and long bills; they had beau- 
tiful white wings, and red spots on their 
heads, while their backs were sprinkled 
with silver and gold, and their tails 
were trimmed in correct imitation of 
fashionably-cut swallow-tail coats. An- 
other vender, further down the street, 
was shouting in a hoarse voice: “ Here 
y’are. Popper and Mommer, two for a 
nickel; only fi’ cents fer the two of 


30 Eleanor’s Christmas. 

’em.” At his feet lay a large clothes- 
basket filled with tiny little Japanese 
people, not more than four inches high, 
who looked very cold and uncomfort- 
able with their gay paper gowns and 
bare feet, and the little man which the 
pedlar held between his thumb and 
forefinger gave a plaintive squeak 
whenever he was pressed in the middle, 
which seemed to be his only sensitive 
spot. I had already purchased a tin 
cat and a stork, but still had a capa- 
cious empty pocket in my overcoat, 
and the pretty little Japanese lady 
looked at me so entreatingly, although 
she could not squeak like her husband, 
that I thought it would be an act of 
charity to find a home for these two 
friendless little foreigners, and in a 
minute more they were snugly stowed 
away in the warm lining of my deep 
pocket. 

I knew a poor little rich girl who had 
never owned a single inexpensive toy 
hat she could play and do as she liked 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 3 r 

with. Her parents were so very rich 
that they only knew rich people, and 
as they always went to the most ex- 
pensive shops they never even saw any 



nice cheap toys, and all the people that 
sent presents to the poor little rich girl 
did not dare send any but the most ex- 
pensive ones, because they knew that if 


32 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 



they sent any other kind her parents 
might not approve of it, so of course 
the poor little rich girl could not play 
with her toys, as the happy little poor 
children do, for fear that she would 
break them or muss the beautiful Par- 
isian gowns of her handsome dolls. 
Whenever the poor little rich girl 
wanted to play, she had a nurse who did 
almost all of her playing for her. This 
nurse would get the handsome dolls out 
of their elegant doll-houses and set 
them in a row; then she would wind 
up the automatic toys and the musical 
boxes, while the poor little rich girl 
looked on and tried to imagine that she 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 


33 



was having a good time, but if she even 
lifted her hand to touch the dolls or the 
toys, her nurse would say : “ Do be 
careful, Miss Eleanor; Mrs. Wealthy 
Smith sent you that, and I don’t know 
what your mamma would say if you 
should break it.” And the poor little 
rich girl would sometimes think that 
she would like to break something just 
to see what her mamma would say, for 
she very seldom had the opportunity 
of hearing her mamma say anything, for 
what with operas and theatre parties 
and dinners and balls her mamma had 
very little time to devote to her, and 



34 Eleanor’s Christmas. 



sometimes she would hardly see her for 
days at a time. So, of course, the poor 
little rich girl was rather afraid of her 
mamma’s displeasure, as she did not 
know her very well, not nearly so well 
as she knew her nurse, because she had 
to spend the most of her life in com- 
pany with her nurse, and had not had 
the opportunity of being much with her 
mamma, although they lived in the 
same house. 

Sometimes the poor little rich girl 
would stand in the window of the ele- 
gant drawing-room and look out envi- 
ously at the happy little poor children 


Eleanor's Christmas. 35 

who were playing in the streets and 
throwing snowballs at each other, for 
she had never even made a snowball 
in her life, although she longed to do 
so, but, of course, when she went out in 
the street she had to be dressed up in 
very fine clothes and had to wear little 
kid gloves, and her nurse would not let 
her touch the snow because it would 
have ruined her gloves, not to speak of 
her beautiful clothes. 

I was sorry for the poor little rich 
girl, and so I sent her the tin cat, the 
stork, and the two little Japs, all done 
up carefully in a box. When her nurse 
opened the box and saw what inexpen- 
sive toys they were, she turned up 
her nose at them and let the poor little 
rich girl have them to play with as 
much as she pleased, hoping that they 
would soon be destroyed, as she con- 
sidered such inexpensive toys a dis- 
grace to the nursery; but the poor little 
rich girl was delighted with them, for 
she had never had any toys before that 


36 Eleanor’s Christmas. 

she could do as she pleased with, and 
after she had played with them all day 
she placed them on a table at the side 
of her bed, so that she could see them 
the moment she awoke in the morning. 

When she had said good-night to 
them, and had fallen asleep, the nurse 
went down stairs to talk to the new 
butler and left her all alone, and then 
the strangest thing happened. She 
was awakened by hearing the little man 
squeak several times, and looking over 
at the table, she saw that the tin cat, 
whose spring had not quite run down, 
was poking the tin mouse at the lower 
ribs of the little Japanese man, and al- 
though he did not seem to be afraid of 
the mouse, or of the cat either for that 
matter, he was so constituted that he 
simply had to squeak when anything 
touched him there, and so he was 
simply obeying a law of his nature. 
The poor little rich girl was surprised 
at this performance, and, sitting up in 
bed, she said: 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 37 

“Seems to me you are making a 
great deal of noise.” 

“ I bega thousand pardons, Madame,” 
said the little Japanese man, bowing to 
the ground. “Allow me to introduce 
myself, in order that I may offer you a 
suitable apology. My name is Koto- 
biki, which in Japanese means ‘long 
life.’ This is Min^, my wife, and I can 
assure you that neither of us would 
have willingly disturbed you for the 
world. It was all the fault of Shari 
Neko, the Tin Cat over there.” 

“ Well,” said the Tin Cat, “ I like that; 
didn’t you get right in front of me when 
I wanted to run down? Somebody left 
me half wound up, and I can never 
sleep when I am wound up, and I was 
just letting myself run down when you 
got in the way. I’m never so happy as 
when I’m run down, and that’s why I 
can’t understand why people who are 
run down go to the doctor’s. Why, 
every day I see advertisements in the 
papers saying, ‘ Do you feel run down? 




Eleanor’s Christmas. 


39 



If SO, take Good’s Sarsaparilla for that 
tired feeling.’ If people only knew 
they could be happier if they were 
run down instead of wound up, they 
wouldn’t buy patent medicines or pay 
doctors’ bills.” 

“Ker-choo! Ker-choo! Perhaps you 
could tell me what to do for a cold in 
the head,” sneezed Kotobiki. “I knew 
I should catch one; in fact, I told Mine 
so when we were lying in the basket on 
that cold sidewalk yesterday. If you 
would examine me, you would see that 
there are only two things that I can 
catch very well — chilblains and colds 



40 Eleanor’s Christmas. 



in the head. You see, I haven’t any 
body, but my clothes are just stuffed 
with paper from my head to my feet, so, 
of course, having only my head and my 
feet to get ill with, the variety of dis- 
eases to which I am liable is limited; 
but when I do get a cold in the head I 
have a frightful time. Quinine pills do 
me no good, for if I take them they 
only fall through the bottom of my 
neck and drop on the top of my feet, 
where they rattle about and annoy me.” 

“Well,” said the Tin Cat, “you’re 
better off than I am. It’s much better 
not to have any body than it is to have 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 41 



one which is filled with springs and 
wheels and cogs, which squeak and rat- 
tle so that you can’t hear yourself think. 
Why, only last week my mainspring 
was paralyzed so that I couldn’t move, 
and I had to be strapped down on my 
back in a machine shop and have it re- 
moved and a new one inserted. How’s 
that for torture? I never suffered so 
since the day I was soldered.” 

“I suppose we all have our troubles 
to bear,” said Min4,“ and that reminds 
me that Nagai, the Stork over there,, 
seems to have something on his mind 
which is troubling him very much. I 


42 Eleanor’s Christmas. 

called him Nagai Hashi, which means 
‘ long legs,’ yesterday, and I think that 
annoyed him, but I am afraid he has a 
more serious trouble to-day, he looks 
so sad and depressed.” 

“I’ll ask him what’s the matter,” said 
the Tin Cat, and with a little whirr of 
his wheels, he crossed the table where 
Nagai was standing and questioned him. 

Nagai shook his head dolefully as he 
answered: “ I’ve been thinking ” 

“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed the Tin Cat. 
“This is really too good; you’ve been 
thinking, have you? Well, take my ad- 
vice, and never do it again, for if your 
head should get heavy from thought 
you’d topple over and break your neck; 
you’re too tall to risk thinking.” 

“ When you have finished with your 
irrelevant and discourteous interrup- 
tion,” said the Stork, coolly, “ I will 
continue.” 

“ Oh, that’s all right, old chap,” said 
the Tin Cat. “ I didn’t mean to hurt 
your feelings, but the idea was rather 


Eleanor’s Christmas. 43 

ridiculous. Come, now, wasn’t it?” 

“ To a thoughtless and frivolous per- 
son, like yourself, it may have appeared 
so,” returned Nagai, sternly; “ but to 
resume my statement: I was thinking 
that the man who would not buy me 
because I was not for anything was 
right. You see, just before I was bought 
and brought here with the rest of you, 
a man came along and was going to 
buy me. He held out the money for 
me to the pedlar, who was wrapping me 
up, and was about to take me, when he 
suddenly withdrew his hand and asked 
the pedlar what I was for. 

Nothing,’ said the pedlar. 

“‘Well, if he isn’t for anything, I don’t 
see how I can use him,’ said the man, 
and passed on. 

“ Since then I have been terribly de- 
pressed, for I think it was true, and I 
am not for anything. If I were I think 
I should know it. I have tried to stick 
pins in my breast, to see if I were a pin- 
cushion, but I’m not; and this after- 


44 Eleanor’s Christmas. 

noon it occurred to me that I might 
possibly be a paper weight, so I climbed 
up on the desk and stood on some pa- 
pers for an hour, when somebody 
opened the library door and the draught 
blew me over and I fell into the waste- 
paper basket, although the door did not 
make enough wind to disturb the pa- 
pers. It has since occurred to me that 
my bill, which is made of two pieces of 
bamboo; might have been intended for 
toothpicks, but if that is so, what was 
the use of making the rest of me?” 

“ Dear me,” said the Tin Cat, “ some 
people are never satisfied. If you only 
knew it, you are much better off than I 
am. Look at me; nobody can say that 
I am not for something, for my vocation 
is plain. It is to run after that mouse. 
Nobody ever sees me that he doesn't 
wind me up and start me off again, and I 
never stop until I run down or bump 
into the leg of a chair. They all know 
just as well as you and I do that it is a 
physical impossibility for me to catch 


Eleanor's Christmas. 45 

the mouse, for he is held in place by a 
strong wire that always keeps him an 
inch ahead of my nose, but they never 
tire of starting me afresh on the useless, 
hopeless chase, and sometimes I get so 
awfullysickof it all that I wish somebody 
would step on me and break my wheels 
so that I could never run again. You 
don’t have anything like that to worry 
you. All you have to do is to stand 
still and do nothing.” 

” Say,” interrupted Kotobiki, ” it's 
nearly twelve o’clock, and it will be 
Christmas in a minute. Mine you watch 
the long hand on the clock, and when 
it points to twelve o’clock we’ll all say 
* Merry Christmas ’ together to Miss 
Eleanor, and thank her for the beauti- 
ful home we have now, for it is cer- 
tainly much more comfortable for us to 
be here, than on that cold sidewalk.” 

Just then the hands of the clock 
reached twelve, and the Stork opened 
his bill wide, and they all shouted 
‘‘Merry Christmas ” together, and then 


46 Eleanor’s Christmas. 


I 



the poor little rich girl tried to say, 
“The same to you, and many of them,” 
but the words would not come, no matter 
how hard she tried, and she could feel 
her head nodding and her eyelids clos- 
ing up tight, and then she didn’t know 
anything of what went on until the next 
morning, when her nurse waked her and 
showed her lots of new expensive toys 
that had been brought to her by the 
Santa Claus that brings presents to lit- 
tle rich girls; but she turned her back 
on all of them, and kissed the little 
Japanese woman, and the little Japa- 
nese man, and petted the Stork, and 



Eleanor’s Christmas. 47 

held the Tin Cat in her arms, for she 
felt that she knew them better than the 
others, and besides, hadn’t they all sat 
up until very late the night before, just 
to wish her a Merry Christmas? 






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; JACK’S FOX-HUNT. 

! 

I Jack Dale was a city boy, and the 
I greater part of his years, which num- 
j bered fifteen, had been spent between 
walls of brick and mortar; consequently, 
when one day a letter arrived from 
Jack’s uncle. Col. Phillips, inviting him 
I to come down to his plantation in Vir- 
i ginia and make him a visit, Jack did 
! not rest until he had obtained per- 
! mission to go. 

I So one bright morning found Jack 
j snugly stowed away in the cushioned 
I chair of a Pullman car, watching the 
[panorama of woods, rivers and fields, as 


52 Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

the train sped along toward Baltimore, 
where his uncle was to meet him. 

Col. Phillips was waiting at the station 
as the train came in, and Jack was 
whisked into a cab and was on his way 
to the boat before he fairly knew what 
he was about, his uncle explaining as 
they drove on that the train was late 
and that it was past the time for the 
boat to sail. However, he had tele- 
phoned to his friend, the captain, ask- 
ing him to wait until he arrived, before 
sailing. As the cab drove to the end 
of a long covered dock stored with 
cotton. Jack saw that his uncle had not 
relied on the good nature of the captain 
for nothing, for there the big boat lay 
all cleared away and ready to start, but 
with a plank out for Jack and his uncle. 
As soon as they were on board, the 
plank was hauled in, and with a hoarse 
screech the steamer backed out into the 
Patapsco and pointed her prow for the 
Old Dominion. After supper Jack 
turned in, to dream of the rides and the 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 


53 



shooting which his uncle had promised 
him. Soon after daybreak the next 
morning the whistle announced that the 
boat was nearing some landing, and 
peering out of the state-room window 
Jack saw in the red glow of the morn- 
ing sun the little round stone fort known 
as the Rip-raps, which lies at the en- 
trance to Hampton Roads. Dressing 
quickly, he was on deck before the boat 
had reached the wharf. Before him 
were two great hotels, and beyond he 
could see the parapets and earthworks 
of Fortress Monroe, and some soldiers 



54 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 



in bright uniforms just coming out of 
the sally-port. 

After breakfasting at the hotel, Jack 
and his uncle were off again in a smaller 
boat. As they steamed up the bay, in- 
numerable ducks, disturbed at their 
feeding-grounds, arose and flew to the 
right and left, with startled cries. Soon 
Jack could see long stretches of shining 
sand, and points covered with pine 
woods, and here and there on the bay 
the triangular sail of a fleet Virginia 
anoe 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 


55 



Presently the boat landed at a long 
wooden wharf, where Jack and his uncle 
were piled with bag and baggage into 
a large canoe manned by good-natured- 
looking darkies, which was waiting for 
them, and a sail of a mile or two brought 
them to the point where the Colonel’s 
carriage was waiting to take them to the 
house. 

After driving through long lanes, 
which skirted the wooded swamps where 
the air was fragrant with the odor of 
pine trees, they came to an avenue of 
magnolias, at the end of which Jack 


56 Jack’s Fox-hunt. 



could see the great house, with a group 
of colored servants about the door, 
waiting to welcome the Colonel and his 
nephew. 

Col. Phillips had not forgotten them, 
and soon the whole retinue, from 
Esther the cook, and Victoria the house- 
maid, down to the smallest pickaninny, 
were smiling over some trifle that he 
had brought forth from his capacious 
carpet-bag. 

While they were at breakfast the fain 
sound of a horn was heard. Col. Phil- 
lips's superintendent was on his feet at 
once. “;I declare,” said he, “ if I hadn’t 
clean forgot that I promised to meet 
Major Yancy at Hickory Forks this 
morning, with my dogs, for the fox-hunt. 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 


57 



Perhaps Jack would like to go along 
and see how we kill foxes in Virginia.” 

“I am not going to have Jack go on 
a fox-hunt the very first day he gets 
here, sir, and break his neck,” said the 
Colonel. “I don’t even know that he 
knows how to ride a horse. Do you. 
Jack ? ” 

Jack’s entire experience as an eques- 
trian had been limited to rides in the 
park, at ten cents a ride, on the backs 
of ponies led by boys, and as he had 
outgrown the ponies, even this experi- 
ence was not recent; but never doubt- 
ing that this was a sufficient training. 


58 Jack's Fox-hunt. 



Jack unhesitatingly answered, “ Oh yes, 
sir! I commenced very early.” 

“Well, then, Mr. Taylor,” said the 
Colonel, “ tell Caesar to pick him out a 
quiet horse, and let him go along with 
you; but mind, he is not to leave the 
road and try any neck-breaking per- 
formances at riding cross country, so if 
you start a fox, send Jack home. How- 
ever, I reckon he will get enough riding 
by the time you get to the meet, and be 
ready to come home in a wagon. So 
have Caesar hitch up the cart and drive 
after you, so that he can ride Jack’s 
horse home.” 


59 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

In a few minutes the horses were at 
the door, and Jack, not without some 
fear, was surveying the animal which 
was to carry him. He looked so much 
bigger than he had expected, somehow, 
and Jack even thought he could detect 
a wicked look in his eye, and com- 
menced to wish that he had not pro- 
fessed to be a good horseman. How- 
ever, there was no time to think it over, 
ind Jack had to decide at once, and be- 
ing a plucky little chap at heart, he had 
the horse brought beside the block and 
bestrode the saddle, while Caesar ad- 
justed the stirrups for him. 

It was pretty hard work for Jack at 
first, as they went along at a sharp trot, 
and many times he had narrow escapes 
from falling off, and when the road was 
hard the jolting would bring tears to his 
eyes; but nevertheless he managed to 
stick on, and to give to Mr. Taylor, who 
was riding ahead with the dogs, a 
cheery answer when he called back to 
know how he was getting along. 


6o Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

Arrived at the cross-roads they found 
the hunters assembled, only waiting for 
Mr. Taylor’s arrival to put the dogs into 
the woods. To Jack’s eye it was a 
curious sight. His conception of fox- 
hunting had been formed by looking at 
the colored prints in such books as 
Hanley Cross, Sponge’s Hunting Touij 
and Mr. Facey Romford’s Hounds in hi^ 
father’s library ; but here were no red 
coats, varnished boots, top hats anc^ 
white ties, but men of widely varyind 
ages dressed in their farming clothes 
with slouch hats and heavy calf bootsi 
and, strung under their arms, old cows^ 
horn trumpets on which to sound the 
blast when the fox was away. 

The horses were a motley collection of 
every color and in every stage of ap- 
parent decrepitude, although there was 
not one among them who would not 
prick up his ears and set a good pace 
across country at the sound of the dogs 
in cry. Several negro sportsmen were 
riding mules on which they had strapped 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 6i 

the remnants of old army saddles, worn 
to the tree and re-enforced by many 
mendings of string and leather. 

The dogs were also a miscellaneous 
collection, as the county did not sup- 
port a pack, but every man who hunted 
kept two or three, and for the meet 
every man brought his best dog, and 
each boasted that for sagacity, speed 
and keen nose his particular hound was 
unequalled. 

Jack was introduced to Major Yancy 
one of the oldest fox-hunters in the 
country, and as they rode along toward 
the strip of pine woods where they were 
to put the dogs in, the old fellow gave 
Jack some kindly hints which he fol- 
lowed as best he could, and found that 
he obtained a much better seat in his 
saddle in consequence. 

Arrived at the woods the Major ad- 
dressed the dogs. “ Hie in there, you 
Music! Hush, you Blunder! Whoo- 
oop, you Echo! you come heah, you 
rascal! Thunder! Venus, you all of you 


62 Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

git in there! Git him out! Git him 
out! Hie away! Hie away! ” And 
the dogs, obedient to his call and eager 
for the chase, bounded into the woods, 
and with short low yelps commenced 
to quarter the ground for a hot scent. 

The hunters took positions where 
they could survey the road and the sur- 
rounding fields, and from time to time 
urged on the dogs with shouts and 
calls. 

Once the hounds started in full cry, 
and away went the riders helter-skelter 
over the low Virginia snake-fences and 
into the woods, only to reappear in a 
few minutes, and reply to Jack’s excited 
questioning that it was “ nothin’ but an 
ole har’.” False starts and long searches 
in damp woods took up the morning, 
and it was long past midday when the 
hunters, finding themselves near the 
head of one of the many estuaries of 
the Chesapeake which divided the 
county into a series of peninsulas, ad- 
journed to a fine old colonial house 



which stood near the water, and enjoyed 
a lunch of biscuit, and delicious raw 
oysters just out of the river. Then 
mounting their horses the party started 
for home. Jack, although somewhat 
stiff, was commencing to consider him- 
self quite a horseman by this time, and 
cantered to the side of a charming 
young lady who had joined them for 
the ride home. 

Miss Carter was twenty-one, six years 
older than Jack, but Jack’s heart had 
gone over to her in boyish admiration 
when Mr. Taylor had told him, before 
presenting him to her, that she was the 


64 Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

best horsewoman in the county, and 
that few men could outride her in a fox- 
hunt. She was mounted on a beautiful 
jet-black mare which she called Lenore, 
and as Jack rode up she called to him: 

“ I see that you are riding Telegram; 
what a pity you did not have a run! 
There’s not a horse out to-day that 
would have headed him.” 

“ Oh,” said Jack, “ I had no intention 
of following if they had started a fox. 
Why, I have never jumped a fence in 
my life.” 

“You will soon learn down here. 
Why, it is the easiest thing in the world. 
All you have to do is to ride straight at 
the fence, and before you know it you 
are over.” 

Just then Mr. Taylor rode up and 
called to Jack: “Say, Jack! you ride 
along with Miss Carter. I’ll catch up 
with you before you get to Pointer’s 
store. Major Yancy and I are going to 
put the dogs in this little strip of woods 
for a last try. There used to be a big 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 65 

gray in there last winter, and he may 
be there yet. ” 

The Major and Mr. Taylor rode 
across to the woods, followed by all of 
the hunt excepting Jack and Miss Car- 
ter, who kept on down the sandy lane. 
They had not gone far before Miss 
Carter reined Lenore up sharply, and 
listened. 

“Hark!” said she; “the dogs are 
running. They are going towards Chap- 
pahoosic. You must see some of the 
run. Now follow me, and we will cut 
over to the end of the woods where 
they must come out, and we can get 
there before any of them. There is 
only this one fence by the road, and 
Telegram will take you over that be- 
fore you know it. Come on! ” 

And before Jack could remonstrate^ 
Miss Carter, with sparkling eyes and 
the color in her cheeks, had touched 
Lenore with her crop, and Jack was left 
alone in the lane; but only for a mo- 
ment, for if Jack was undecided Tele- 


66 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

gram was not. With ears pricked for- 
ward and nostrils dilated he had waited 
a minute, until he saw Lenore’s heels 
disappear over the fence, and then, with 
a little snort, as though a trifle vexed 
at being outdone at the start by a lady, 
he made a dash at the fence. 

Jack never remembered exactly how 
it was, but he found himself seated on 
Telegram’s neck, holding on to his 
ears, and crying, “Whoa, sir! Whoa, 
sir!” But Telegram did not stop. The 
fence was behind, and Lenore was half 
a field ahead, and he must catch her. 
With great effort Jack managed to slide 
back into the saddle and get his feet in 
the stirrups, and by the time they 
reached Miss Carter’s side he had the 
reins in his hand again, and showed no 
signs of his discomfiture excepting that 
he was slightly out of breath and his 
heart was beating very hard. 

“ Well done, Mr. Dale,” said Miss 
Carter. “We will make a fox-hunter 
of you yet.” 




Jack’s Fox-hunt. 67 

Fortunately for Jack, she had not 
turned to see him take the fence, or 
she might have laughed at him instead 
of praising him, and he never would 
have won the reputation he did that 
day. 

The hounds were now rapidl)^ near- 
ing the head of the woods, and Miss 
Carter, who knew the voice of each, 
listened with growing excitement. 

“ Old Thunder is in the lead! Just 
listen to his notes! And Music is not 
far behind. Now watch, and we shall 
see them come out near that tall pine.’' 

The words had hardly left her lips 
when Jack saw a magnificent gray fox 
break from the woods, with the dogs 
close behind. Telegram saw them, too, 
and before Jack could stop him he was 
off with a mad rush, and was flying at the 
fence ahead. Jack’s heart was in his 
mouth, but he managed to keep his 
seat this time, and having found that 
he could not stop Telegram, he devoted 
himself to doing his level best towards 


^8 Jack’s Fox-hunt, 

keeping on his back. On they flew, 
through ploughed fields, over fences, 
across ditches, with poor Jack bounc- 
ing up and down in the saddle, with the 
breath nearly shaken out of his body. 
His feet had lost the stirrups, which 
were dealing blows as they swung 
about, first to Jack’s ankles and then to 
Telegram’s sides, urging him on. 

Jack shut his eyes as a bigger fence 
than usual appeared in front of him, 
and opened them again as they landed, 
with a jolt, in a big field of corn. The 
high stalks hit Jack in the face, and 
threatened to brush him off the saddle, 
so he bent low and put his arms around 
Telegram’s neck, and shut his eyes 
again, when of a sudden Telegram 
stopped short. Jack felt himself fly- 
ing through the air, and before he knew 
it he had landed on his back in an open 
ploughed field, and the whole pack of 
dogs were around him, barking and 
jumping about as though they intended 
to eat him. 


Jack's Fox-hunt. 69 



Jack felt something soft and warm 
under him, and springing up, he discov- 
ered the gray fox. 

The dogs had just killed him, and 
Telegram, emerging from the cornfield, 
had stopped short, in order not to 
trample on the hounds, and Jack had 
been thrown in the midst of them upon 
the fox himself. 

Jack had just picked up the fox and 
was beating back the dogs when Miss 
Carter rode up. 

“ Well, such a chase as you have led 
me!*' she exclaimed. “And to think 


70 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

of your telling me that you never rode 
across country! Why^ there is not a 
man in the county who would dare ride 
at that fence with the broad ditch in 
the last field, and I had to go around it 
myself to get here.” 

Jack concluded that discretion was 
the better part of valor, and tried to 
wear his newly won honors modestly 
when the rest of the hunt came up to 
congratulate him upon his skill and 
daring riding; but as he rode home in 
the dusk beside Miss Carter, who wore 
the brush which he had gallantly pre- 
sented to her, he was a very proud 
though very tired boy. 

Arrived at the house, the news of his 
achievement had preceded him, and 
the Colonel stood on the porch to wel- 
come him home. 

” Jack, you rascal,” said he, “ didn’t 
I tell you not to follow the hounds? 
What do you mean, sir, by disregard- 
ing my commands and trying to break 
your worthless neck, you scoundrel! I 


71 


Jack’s Fox-hunt. 

shall send you back North to-morrow.” 

But Jack could see a merry twinkle 
in the old gentleman’s eye, for in fact 
Jack himself was not half so proud of 
what he had done as was his uncle. 
Caesar understood this also, and when 
the Colonel called him up and threat- 
ened him with all sorts of terrible things 
for having given Jack Telegram to ride 
instead of some quiet old horse, all he 
answered was: 

“ Fo’ de Lawd, sir, I done knowed 
he cud ride as soon as I sot eyes on 
him.” 









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